| Verb | 1. | soften - make (images or sounds) soft or softersharpen - make (images or sounds) sharp or sharper | |
| 2. | soften - lessen in force or effect; "soften a shock"; "break a fall"blunt, deaden - make less lively, intense, or vigorous; impair in vigor, force, activity, or sensation; "Terror blunted her feelings"; "deaden a sound" deafen - make soundproof; "deafen a room" deaden, damp, dampen - make vague or obscure or make (an image) less visible; "muffle the message" | |
| 3. | soften - give in, as to influence or pressure | |
| 4. | soften - protect from impact; "cushion the blow"modify - make less severe or harsh or extreme; "please modify this letter to make it more polite"; "he modified his views on same-gender marriage" | |
| 5. | soften - make less severe or harsh; "He moderated his tone when the students burst out in tears"alter, change, modify - cause to change; make different; cause a transformation; "The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city"; "The discussion has changed my thinking about the issue" | |
| 6. | soften - make soft or softer; "This liquid will soften your laundry"alter, change, modify - cause to change; make different; cause a transformation; "The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city"; "The discussion has changed my thinking about the issue" mellow - soften, make mellow; "Age and experience mellowed him over the years" mollify - make less rigid or softer macerate - soften, usually by steeping in liquid, and cause to disintegrate as a result; "macerate peaches"; "the gizzards macerates the food in the digestive system" harden, indurate - make hard or harder; "The cold hardened the butter" | |
| 7. | soften - become soft or softer; "The bread will soften if you pour some liquid on it"change - undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature; "She changed completely as she grew older"; "The weather changed last night" mellow - make or grow (more) mellow; "These apples need to mellow a bit more"; "The sun mellowed the fruit" macerate - become soft or separate and disintegrate as a result of excessive soaking; "the tissue macerated in the water" | |